The Ugly Offensive Numbers For The Tribe

The Kansas City Royals have 63 extra base hits on the season, an average of more than three per game. And they rank only ninth in the American League in runs scored per game.

The top three teams in scoring in the AL are as follows–

Houston      5.18 runs          59 XBH
New York    5.18 runs          51 XBH
Detroit         5.13 runs          48 XBH

On the other end of the spectrum are the Cleveland Indians, who rank 14th in the league (second to last) in runs at 3.33, and have just 30 hits that weren’t singles.

We are now 18 games into the season, and only four Indians have more than two extra base hits on the season. They are–

Jose Ramirez 7
Francisco Lindor 6
Cesar Hernandez 5
Franmil Reyes 5

What is even worse is there are only two other players (Carlos Santana and Domingo Santana) who have two.

Cleveland ranks dead last in the AL in slugging percentage at .294. To give you an idea of how low that is, last season the Tigers had the least powerful offense in the Junior Circuit. They slugged .388.

Thankfully, the Tribe ranks 3rd in the league in walks, led by Carlos Santana who has taken a free pass 24 times, seven more than anyone else in the AL.

The downside to that is the Indians are below the dreaded “Mendoza line” as a team, with a batting average of .195. So, even with all the walks, the Tribe has an on base percentage of .303, 11th in the circuit.

You might think with all the walks, maybe Terry Francona’s squad is playing “small ball”, making up for a lack of pop by moving runners, stealing bases, etc.

Nope, Cleveland has stolen just two bases on the season and have actually been caught three times. They have one sacrifice bunt (we know, that makes people happy) and they also have just one sacrifice fly, ahead of only Boston, who have none.

Basically, when it comes to offense, the Indians aren’t doing much right.

They’ve scored 62 runs on the season, and 22 of those came in two games, the third game of the season vs. KC (9) and the last game of the Cincinnati set at Progressive Field when they exploded for 13 tallies.

In the other 17 games this season, the Tribe has crossed the plate just 40 times, for a 2.4 per game average.

Looking at that number, it’s really a miracle they a game above .500 at 10-9.

(By the way, that miracle is the work of their pitching staff)

Their catchers are a combined 4 for 61 (.066) with no homers and just one run batted in (a bases loaded walk to Beau Taylor), with seven walks and 23 strikeouts.

That’s pretty bad, but the outfielders (and we aren’t counting Reyes here because he’s mostly DH’d) are hitting just .135 with 3 HR and 12 RBI. They’ve mixed in 21 walks, but have 58 strikeouts in 170 at bats, which for the mathematically challenged is more than once every three times at the dish.

Those numbers don’t include Mike Freeman’s two hits on Sunday night against the White Sox, so if you wonder why he may start receiving more playing time, look at the previous paragraph.

Tyler Naquin was activated prior to the Cubs series, and while he isn’t exactly Babe Ruth, he may seem that way compared to those ugly numbers.

It is getting to the point that the organization has to find someone who can hit. We are getting to the point where we are close to the 1/6th pole in a normal major league schedule.

Unfortunately, the only real alternative that hasn’t been used within the organization that hasn’t been used is Jake Bauers. Could he be the next man up?

DeShields May Be Tribe’s Best CF Option For Now.

The outfield of the Cleveland Indians has been a supposed weakness for several years, at least according to the national baseball media.

Some years, Terry Francona’s use of the platoon advantages, the skipper covers up the problem. However, centerfield seems to have been an issue for several years.

A few weeks ago, we wrote a piece about Bradley Zimmer, detailing that he was called up in 2017 because Francona wasn’t happy with having to use Lonnie Chisenhall in center, and he needed a left-handed hitter to platoon with Austin Jackson.

Abraham Almonte wasn’t hitting and Tyler Naquin’s defense wasn’t gold glove worthy in the middle of the outfield.

The following year, Jackson, who was tremendous both offensively and defensively (869 OPS) was gone to free agency and the platoon was Greg Allen and Rajai Davis, neither of whom provided much offense.

That necessitated the deal for Leonys Martin, who unfortunately fell ill shortly after being acquired from Detroit.

Jason Kipnis was moved to centerfield late in the season after Josh Donaldson came over from Toronto at the end of August.

When Francona was hired in 2013, it coincided with the signing of Michael Bourn as a free agent. Bourn was never an offensive juggernaut (career high of 739 OPS to that point), and didn’t really hit in Cleveland either, compiling a 660 OPS here over two and a half seasons.

He also stopped stealing bases when he arrived in Cleveland, which was probably his best offensive weapon. And he was just okay defensively.

Last year, Oscar Mercado came up in mid May and became, we guess, the first everyday centerfielder since Bourn, playing in 115 games and hit .269 with 15 homers and a 761 OPS.

Our lone concern about Mercado was his strikeout to walk ratio (84/28 in ’19), and he’s never been a big base on balls guy in the minors. However, that is something that can be gained through experience.

Perhaps if the other Tribe outfielders had been hitting, Mercado’s slow start to the season would have been overlooked and he would have time to get going, but they didn’t, so the second year player’s 5 for 41 start became a problem.

Drawing just two walks while fanning 13 times hasn’t helped either.

So, “summer camp” sensation Zimmer got more opportunities, and at first took advantage, but after starting 3 for 9, including a homer, he’s gone 3 for 19, and the strikeout bugaboo has returned, as he has fanned in seven of his last 16 plate appearances.

As a result, we are writing something we didn’t expect to…right now, the best option for the Indians is Delino DeShields.

Yes, the outfielder who the Tribe acquired in the Corey Kluber deal from Texas, and the guy who has a career 670 OPS, even though he played half of his games in the hitters paradise the Rangers used to play in.

So far, he’s taken some walks (4) and even squeezed home the lead run in the 10th inning of Sunday night’s win over Chicago. And he’s solid defensively in centerfield, as are Mercado and Zimmer, which is needed if Domingo Santana is playing the outfield.

This isn’t to write off Mercado, but again, with the team struggling as a whole (last in the AL in OPS and last in the majors in slugging percentage), management has to look for alternatives.

Zimmer earned an opportunity for more time, but right now, he is falling back a bit into what he showed as a hitter after his first couple of months at the big league level.

We scoffed about getting DeShields when the trade was made, but right now, he might be the best option the Indians have. Funny how some things play out.

Tribe Needs Consistency From Top Of The Order.

There is one word missing when describing the offense of the Cleveland Indians so far this season.

No, the word isn’t runs, although we could have used that. The real word we are talking about is consistency.

Just looking at the last three days, you can see what we are talking about. Thursday night, they lambasted the Reds, 13-0. That was followed by Cleveland being shutout by the White Sox, 2-0, and yesterday, they put seven up on the board in win over the Pale Hose.

Because baseball is a sport played pretty much on a daily basis, it is a sport where consistency is a must.

The Indians just haven’t gotten that, particularly from the top five men in the order, the players who figured to carry the burden of the offense this season, save for new 2B, Cesar Hernandez.

While Jose Ramirez has been the Tribe’s best hitter, Hernandez has been the most consistent.

The former Phillie has had a hit in all but three games in this young season, and in the games he hasn’t had a hit, he reached base via the walk. Quite frankly, he has done everything Terry Francona hoped for when he decided to lead him off.

In nine of the 15 games he’s played, he’s reached twice. So, he has certainly set the table for Ramirez, Francisco Lindor, Carlos Santana, and Franmil Reyes.

Ramirez leads the club in hits, home runs, RBIs, and OPS, but 10 of his 17 hits have come in three games, his homers have come in two games, and eight of his 11 ribbies have occurred in the same two games.

He recently went through an 0 for 15 on the last trip to Minnesota and Cincinnati.

Lindor had a two hit game in the 7-1 victory over Chicago, but it was only his third two hit game of the season. He’s walked just three times this season (once intentionally), and has only been on base more than once in a contest five times.

After striking out nine times in the first seven games, he has fanned just four times in the last nine. Hopefully, that a good sign for things to come.

Carlos Santana had two hits in each game of the doubleheader sweep at home against Chicago on July 28th, but has had just four hits since, and none have been home runs.

The good sign for him? Is there is such a thing as a walk tear, Santana is on one. He’s taken a free ride nine times in the last three games, and 13 times in the last seven games. He isn’t getting good pitches to hit, so he’s being very patient, which is way better than chasing and making outs.

Not a surprise, he leads the AL in walks this season with 20.

Reyes has perhaps struggled the most. Until his game winning HR Tuesday night in Cincinnati, he had just one extra base hit, and that was a groundball that eluded two Minnesota defenders and he hustled into second on what should have been a 6-3 or 4-3 putout.

He’s put together three straight two hit games, the first Indian that can say that this season. It would be nice if he could take a few more walks, but the Tribe needs Reyes to provide some pop, and two dingers this week were a sight for sore eyes.

When Cleveland gets something from the 6-9 spots in the order, they can score, but you can probably say that for most teams.

Tribe catchers are 3 for 51 on the season with no extra base hits and just one RBI.

Yesterday, Domingo Santana and Jordan Luplow joined Bradley Zimmer as the only outfielders to hit a home run.

While it would be nice for those spots in the order to get going, more consistent production is needed from the top five in the batting order. Hernandez has gotten the job done, now the next four hitters have to do the same.

No Extra Games For Cavs (And Others) Isn’t Fair.

One of the common complaints about the NBA is the lack of competitive balance. Part of that comes from the nature of the sport itself.

There are just five players on the floor at any time, and if you have a great player, that’s a tremendous advantage for sure. And those great players seem to gravitate toward large media markets and warm weather cities.

It has been said many times before, but it still bears repeating. Since Magic Johnson and Larry Bird entered the league in the 1979-80 season, every championship team, save for the 2003-04 Detroit Pistons, have had an all-time great on the roster.

That torch has been passed from Bird, Magic, and Julius Erving to Isiah Thomas to Michael Jordan to Hakeem Olajuwon, back to Jordan, and then to Tim Duncan, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, LeBron James, and then to Stephan Curry and Kawhi Leonard.

If you have one of those players, you have a chance to win. If you don’t? You better get one.

Adam Silver and his office, in conjunction with the player’s association, came up with a great idea to resume the season, and finish it in Orlando, Florida.

When the season was stopped in March, many figured (including us), that when the game returned, it would certainly just start with the playoffs, which is what the NHL did.

However, the roundball league likes to do things that seem contrived, and they couldn’t help themselves this time. The resumed the regular season, playing eight games, but not everyone was invited. Eight teams were left at home.

Now, one might say since the eight teams who were not invited to the bubble also had the eight worst records in the league, they deserve to be left out. After all, they are bad teams.

It seems kind of arbitrary though. For example, the Cavaliers stayed home because they won just 19 games, but the Washington Wizards, who won 24 games, gets to play eight extra games.

Worse yet, the Charlotte Hornets, another young team trying to improve, have to sit home even though they won one less game than Washington.

Most of the teams who don’t get the extra games are younger teams who could most definitely use court time.

There was talk of a second bubble for these eight teams to play each other, thus getting the same advantage of some additional contests, and Cavs’ GM Koby Altman was a leading voice to create one, but there is growing belief it will not happen.

We are sure the Cavaliers would have loved to see more of rookies Darius Garland and Kevin Porter Jr. in new coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s system. Heck, they could have watched fellow rookie Dylan Windler actually take the floor in competitive games, something they didn’t get a chance to do all year because of his leg injury.

But they will not be getting this opportunity and quite frankly, in a sport where fairness can be questioned at times, it’s not fair to the teams who aren’t there.

When will we see the Cavaliers next? Quite possibly, it could be in November when training camps will start for the 2020-21 season.

It’s a lost opportunity for the league and the eight teams who aren’t in Orlando.

Well, At Least The Pitching Has Been Great

The Cleveland Indians have played 11 baseball games. The league earned run average coming into play on Monday was 4.57, meaning the average American League team gives up about four and a half runs per game.

If the Tribe offense had done what the average AL team could do every game, Cleveland’s record would be 11-0. That’s right, the Indians’ pitching staff has not allowed more than four runs in any game this season.

Quite frankly, that’s remarkable.

Friday night, Mike Clevinger didn’t have it. He allowed four runs to the Twins in the first two innings. After the game, fans were saying it was bound to happen, the great pitching couldn’t continue.

Minnesota won the game 4-1, so again an average offensive night would have resulted in a win.

This is not another piece designed to bury the currently anemic Tribe hitting attack, but rather to praise the remarkable job the pitching staff has done.

Cleveland pitchers lead the league in ERA at 2.35, strikeouts (113), and least walks allowed (15). Yes, it does mean that Tribe pitchers are collectively walking less than two batters per game.

Imagine how good the staff would be if they could face the Tribe hitters?

We know that comes off as snarky, but the Minnesota staff leads the AL in hits per nine innings, in part because they held Indians’ hitters to just two hits in back to back contests over the weekend.

The Tribe’s hurlers have a strikeout to walk ratio of 7.53. The next best rate in the AL? That would be Baltimore and New York at 3.29, so the Indians’ ratio is almost double the second best rate.

About the only negative thing you can save about the pitching is it has allowed the long ball at a league average rate, giving up 11 gopher balls. Minnesota scored all its runs by homers on Saturday vs. Carlos Carrasco, and last night, the Reds scored all three of their tallies on dingers.

The starters are getting the bulk of the credit, and rightly so. Shane Bieber has been unreal in his two starts, and Clevinger’s second outing was the only one where the first pitcher on the hill for the Tribe didn’t see the sixth inning.

However the bullpen, figured to be a weakness, has pitched admirably too. Only two of the eight members of the ‘pen have allowed opponents to score earned runs (Brad Hand, Dominic Leone), while the other six guys have pitched 23-2/3 frames without allowing an earned run.

Two rookies, James Karinchak and Cam Hill, have already earned saves, each the first of their respective careers. And to date, the former has lived up to expectations by allowing just an unearned run (due to the new extra inning rule) and striking out eight in five innings.

That means in 10-1/3 big league innings, he has struck out 16 batters.

The whole staff specializes in the strikeout. Adam Cimber has just one in 3-2/3 innings, Adam Plutko fanned just four in six innings in his lone start, and Nick Wittgren has whiffed three in four frames.

Otherwise, every other man who has pitched for Cleveland this season has at least as many strikeouts as innings pitched.

What’s scary is how long can this continue? When the offense starts to perk up, will the pitching staff show signs of being mortal? You would think both parts of the team will regress to the mean eventually.

That doesn’t take away from the remarkable job by this staff. Appreciate what you are seeing. It’s unbelievable.

No Panic Yet, But Tribe Offensive Is A Concern

Normally, there wouldn’t be any concern about the Cleveland Indians’ offense after just eight games. But as we all know, there is very little about 2020 that can be considered normal.

In a 60 game season, when the Indians and Twins finish their series in Minnesota on Sunday, the Tribe will have played 1/6th of their schedule, equaling 27 games on the usual docket.

And that makes the offense a concern, and it puts Terry Francona in a tough spot.

Cleveland is second to last in the American League in runs scored per game, ahead of only the Texas Rangers, who sit at 2-4. The Indians are 5-4, because their pitching staff has been brilliant thus far.

Yes, Mike Clevinger didn’t have a great outing Friday night, the first “poor” start of the campaign for the team, but the staff did hold Minnesota, who is second in the AL in runs per game, to just four tallies, and Carlos Carrasco gave up just three runs last night, but the Tribe mustered none.

The average American League team is scoring 4.4 runs per game to date, and the Indians have passed that standard just twice in the nine games. If you remove the nine run outburst against the Royals’ bullpen game last Sunday, the Tribe hitters are producing a paltry two runs a contest.

They are also last in the league in extra base hits with just 13 in the nine contests.

Eventually, you have to think the pitching staff is going to have a hiccup. They’ve allowed four runs a game (less than the league average) twice, and lost both games. The way they have pitched, the Tribe should be undefeated, instead of 5-4.

The bottom of the order to date has been dreadful, and right now, Francona doesn’t seem to have figured out the correct combination in the outfield.

Domingo Santana has been fine, mostly because he has drawn seven walks, leading to an on base percentage of .458. But Cleveland signed him for his pop, and he has one extra base hit.

In fact, Tribe outfielders (and we will include Franmil Reyes, if you want to call what he hit last night a double) have just three extra base hits. Santana has a double, Bradley Zimmer has a home run, and the Reyes double.

Zimmer is 5 for 17 thus far, the the summer camp sensation had one game where he went 2 for 4 with the HR, so the rest of the games, he is 3 for 13.

Reyes is 6 for 30 with 2 RBI, but hasn’t hit the long ball yet. His lone extra base hit was a squibbler up the middle that eluded the shortstop and second baseman.

Jordan Luplow is hitless in 12 at bats, and Oscar Mercado is 2 for 22 with no walks and five strikeouts.

Mercado’s at bat Friday night in Minnesota is what we worry about him, a lack of strike zone discipline. Randy Dobnak was trying to walk him, but Mercado didn’t take ball four, he fouled them off until he waved at a pitch in the dirt.

Again, normally, there wouldn’t be a concern for a few weeks, but this season is different. Right now, we would use Zimmer in center, especially vs. RHP, with Santana in right, and why not take a look at Daniel Johnson in LF?

And we might give Christian Arroyo a few at bats, although it might be tough. After all, he hasn’t had one to this point in the season.

Understand this also, Cleveland isn’t going to get any offense from the catching spot with Roberto Perez out. The organization wants defense and game calling first from that position, and that’s why Sandy Leon and Beau Taylor are there.

We understand Francisco Lindor hasn’t got going either, and neither has Carlos Santana, but both of them look like Stan Musial compared to the bottom four in the order.

We would not use the word panic, but instead say concern about the Cleveland outfield. For now, Terry Francona is searching for the hot bat, to help the Indians generate some runs.

Wanting To Win Should Be Part Of Cavs’ Evaluation Process.

To us, when it is played correctly, basketball is a beautiful sport to watch. A local high school coach recently showed footage of the 1986 Boston Celtics moving the ball with the comment that the game never looked better.

Unfortunately, in these days of isolation and fans and players alike going crazy over fancy moves by players, sometimes that gets lost in today’s game.

We should alert you that this could come across as “get off my lawn” basketball guy.

One of the reasons for the popularity of the Golden State Warriors was the way they moved the basketball. Yes, the long range shooting was a factor too, but when the Warriors were playing well, the ball moved rapidly and found the open player.

This isn’t a new concept. The championship Knicks teams (yes, they were good once) of the early 70’s used the mantra “Find the open man”.

We see scouting reports on players and it talks about their shooting range, their leaping ability, how they can see the floor, and how strong they are, but if it’s mentioned at all, there isn’t much on the “team” attitude of the player.

What got us thinking about this was the Cavaliers’ interest in LaMelo Ball, if he is on the board whenever Cleveland makes their first selection.

First, we understand that Ball is still just 18 years old and his father has made the decisions about where he is playing basketball.

But his amateur career has been filled with going from team to team, looking for a way to best showcase his talents.

Quite frankly, it isn’t much different from what people call the “AAU culture”, where players hop from team to team to either play with their friends, which is fine, or to get away from an environment they dislike, such as having to play defense or not get as many shots.

The scouting report on Ball is he has good range on his shot, and can also get to the basket and finish. He has tremendous court vision and can find teammates in stride or in rhythm, and can play defense when he is committed.

His weaknesses are that he’s not an explosive athlete and needs to improve his shot selection. Both of those areas can be improved with a workout program and experience if he is willing to be coached.

So, he has talent. Let’s face it, if you are being projected to be a top five pick in the NBA Draft, you can play the game.

But you have to wonder what it would look like if the Cavs took him.

Yes, we know he played at SPIRE Institute in 2018, so he’s familiar with the area, but we would wonder if he would be just biding his time until he can get out of Cleveland, which might also be said about several other players in the draft.

What we don’t know is what kind of teammate he is. Is he someone who would be happy with 5 points and 7 assists in a win, or would he rather score 35 points in a loss?

We also understand the way players are viewed in the NBA has changed. For many younger fans, winning has become secondary, visually pleasing play is better. We’ve addressed this issue before.

How many of the younger players have adjusted their game to a style that leads to more winning? We saw Collin Sexton make some strides late last season.

This isn’t an indictment of Ball, he just has the highest profile. But the willingness to do things to win should be part of the equation. It truly isn’t all about talent.

Winning A Series Is Always A Good Thing For Tribe

While we are all happy that baseball has returned, even in a shortened 60 game season, three games is still the definition of a small sample size.

That said, it is always better to win than lose, and winning a series is a good thing, and the Cleveland Indians did just that, taking two out of three against the Kansas City Royals.

The Tribe’s starting rotation got superlative grades in the opening series, but you have to remember no one has the Royals even making the expanded playoffs, let alone the regular post-season, so it will be interesting to see how Cleveland does against the high potent offenses of the White Sox and Twins this week.

The Indians’ pitching recorded 40 strikeouts in the series, the most in the AL, and walked just five KC batters, the least in the AL. Of the teams coming up on the schedule, Chicago ranks 4th in the junior circuit in fanning, 29 times, while the Twins are in the lower half, with just 21 punchouts.

A majority of the strikeouts by Sox hitters came against the Minnesota bullpen, so we wonder how Aaron Civale, Adam Plutko, and Zach Plesac will fare against a group of mostly young, aggressive hitters for the Pale Hose.

So, we will use restraint on the pitching side of things for the Tribe. The Royals have some good hitters, but there was a lot of swing and miss on breaking stuff in the series, and will that continue against better hitters, or will they make the Indians’ pitchers get into the strike zone more often.

We have heard consternation about Francisco Lindor’s start to the season, but again, it’s just three games. The star shortstop looks a tad anxious at the plate, especially on breaking balls, but we are confident he will make the adjustment and be fine.

Lindor struggled with runners in scoring position last season, and we feel he wants to succeed so bad that he doesn’t put the pressure on the pitching staff.

On the other hand, the only Tribe starter who is still hitless has been patient at the dish, although that’s hardly a shock. Carlos Santana is off to an 0 for 8 start, but has drawn four walks with just one strikeout.

The new leadoff hitter, Cesar Hernandez, looks impressive in person. The switch-hitter has drawn just one walk, but has made opposing pitchers work, and looks to hit the ball where it is pitched. His double down the left field line in the Opener was a beautiful display of hitting.

And catcher Roberto Perez has shown way he received the Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2019. He threw out two would be base stealers in the series, and blocked umpteen pitches in the dirt. He even went from first to third on a single to centerfield.

Terry Francona has got all of his position players in a game so far, and the only four on the roster who haven’t been in are starters Civale and Plesac, and relievers Phil Maton and Adam Plutko. The skipper likes to get everyone in as soon as possible, and he will likely get the bullpen guys an inning against Chicago.

By the way, the bullpen performed well in the first series, although in each game, no one was brought in during an inning. Everyone was used after the starters went at least six innings, and each started with a clean inning.

We know that will not always be the case.

We will have a better view of the 2020 edition of the Indians following these next two series, against the teams who figured to battle Cleveland for the AL Central lead.

Baseball Is Back And The Strategy Of The Three Batter Rule…

Baseball is back, and how great is it to say that and hear that? The 60 game sprint is on, even if it has been made less urgent by the expansion of the playoffs to eight teams in each league.

We are all aware of the new rules this year too. There’s a DH in the National League (hooray!), and there are two rules we aren’t very fond of because it messes with the purity of the sport.

(Yes, we are, and we hate this expression–“a baseball purist”.

The rules putting a runner on second base to start the tenth inning is understandable for this year (a little bit), but games that last more than 12 innings are rare, and we can tell you the last long game the Indians were involved in, the 19 inning affair in Toronto in 2016, was beyond exciting.

We were in a public place, and as the game went on, more and more fans drew close to the televisions in the establishment, and when the Indians won the game, a cheer went up throughout the building like the Tribe has clinched a playoff spot.

We bring this up, because the other new rule, the three batter minimum came into play during Friday night’s opener against the Royals.

With two outs in the top of the 7th and Adam Cimber on the mound, he walked Nicky Lopez, and Kansas City manager Mike Matheny countered by pinch-hitting left handed hitter Franchy Cordero.

We wondered if Terry Francona would counter with Oliver Perez to get the lefty, because we forgot about the rule, but remembered that Whit Merrifield was on deck, followed by switch hitting Adeberto Mondesi.

Now, if Perez got Cordero, all is good. With the inning ended, Perez did not have to face the three batter minimum, and Tito could bring in a right-hander to start the 8th.

But if Perez failed to get Cordero, he then would have had to face Merrifield with two men on and the game very much in the balance.

In the past, we think that’s what Francona would have done, bring in Perez to get the pinch-hitter, and then bring in Nick Wittgren to face the all star, Merrifield.

Cimber, who still makes us a tad nervous when he faces a left-handed hitter, got Cordero to ground out to Cesar Hernandez, and the inning was over.

We feel the new rule really affects a specialist, like Cimber, because he has been very good in his career vs. right-handed hitters (.240 batting average against, 624 OPS), but left handed hitters turn into Ted Williams (.313, 1.008 OPS).

If those numbers continue, the skipper will have to be very judicious in how to use him, and perhaps it is so difficult to use him in the correct spots, that it is not worth having a roster spot.

And for those wondering if Shane Bieber earned the Opening Day gig over Mike Clevinger, how was six scoreless innings with 14 strikeouts? It would be tough to beat that, no?

Yes, it was against Kansas City, but the Royals have some good hitters. Merrifield is a machine at the plate, and Jorge Soler did lead the AL in homers a year ago. Salvy Perez is a solid bat and Mondesi is a player to keep an eye on.

The best thing about baseball is they play again today, then tomorrow, etc. It’s the best reality show around in our opinion.

We wonder what the television ratings, usually high for the Indians, will be this season.

Tribe Depending On Some Young Players Continuing To Progress

Many people, including us, feel the Cleveland Indians will be a contender for a playoff spot this season, and to us, it wouldn’t have mattered if the season were 162 games or just 60.

However, much of those good vibes are based on some players with very little major league experience coming through in 2020.

For us, until a player establishes a track record, they have to be viewed with a jaundiced eye. And no doubt, the Tribe has their fair share of these players.

First is centerfielder Oscar Mercado. Remember, the Cardinals gave up on the former second round pick in 2013, trading him to the Indians for a couple of lower tiered prospects in 2018.

Mercado had a solid rookie season, hitting .269 with 15 HR and a 761 OPS, but walked just 28 times vs. 84 strikeouts. However, he thrived at Progressive Field, hitting .289 with 11 dingers (844 OPS) vs. .250 (679 OPS) on the road.

He struggled mightily in August, before having a good September.

If he regresses, Terry Francona does have some alternatives. Delino DeShields can fill the bill defensively for sure, but he’s never really hit well in the big leagues, and if Bradley Zimmer continues on the torrid pace he has set since summer camp started, he could wind up there.

It is worth keeping an eye on though.

The other area where much is counted on from young players is in the starting rotation, where Cleveland needs Aaron Civale and Zach Plesac to be solid starters right away.

The recently turned 25-years-old Civale pitches like a veteran, but has only thrown 58 innings at the big league level, and have less than 400 innings in the minor leagues.

He’s made 10 starts with the Indians, and in only two of them did he see the 7th inning.

His numbers last year were excellent, 44 hits allowed, striking out 46 while walking just 16, and he reminded many people of Corey Kluber in his manner and the way he attacked hitters, but he’s slated as the fourth starter, and the front office is counting on him to be the guy he was a year ago.

Plesac, who is also 25, is barely more experienced at the major league level than Civale, making 21 starts, firing 115 innings.

He actually threw less in the minors though, pitching just 259 innings because he had Tommy John surgery in college and the Tribe brought him back slowly.

After six starts at Akron, compiling an 0.96 ERA, he was on the fast track to Cleveland, and injuries had him with the big club for his debut in Fenway Park on May 28th.

The short season actually helps both Civale and Plesac because they won’t have deal with an innings increase threshold this season.

As for alternatives? Adam Plutko would be the first option should either falter, and the organization has Logan Allen, Scott Moss, and if he is healthy, Jefry Rodriguez as options. However, the latter group doesn’t have a real track record of success in the bigs either.

And then there is James Karinchak, counted on to be a set up man for Brad Hand.

We all know about Karinchak’s gaudy strikeout feats, his high octane fastball, and his knee buckling curve.

However, he has walked a lot of people in his minor league career, which only spans three seasons and a little over 100 innings (82 games). His walk ratio per nine innings is 5.5, and that’s probably why Francona hasn’t fallen in love with the soon to be 24-year-old.

Relievers who don’t throw strikes aren’t any manager’s friend, and Tito is no different.

The biggest problem is Francona doesn’t have a lot of alternatives if Karinchak isn’t effective. He would have to turn to prospects Kyle Nelson or Cam Hill or maybe veterans Phil Maton or Hunter Wood, but none have the filthy stuff Karinchak has.

It’s a bit of a high wire act for the organization, but the safety net is how these players performed last season. But, no doubt the Tribe needs progress from this quartet of young players.